HONOLULU — UH Mānoa climate scientist Axel Timmermann has been selected as the 33rd recipient of the prestigious Rosenstiel Award in Oceanographic Science for his outstanding achievement and growing impact on ocean science. The award is given annually to honor a scientist who has made significant contributions to marine science in one of six broad areas: meteorology and physical oceanography; marine geology and geophysics; marine and atmospheric chemistry; marine biology and fisheries; applied marine physics; and marine affairs and policy.

Timmermann is associate professor of oceanography and research team leader at the International Pacific Research Center, the climate research center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He conducts research into the role of the ocean in changing climates, especially in climates extending back hundreds of thousands of years. Computer climate models, which represent in mathematical terms the interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice, are his major tools. His aim is to provide the field of climate research with a better understanding of climate processes, to improve the skill of the models in simulating climate realistically, and to reduce their uncertainties in projecting future climate.

Timmermann is the second UH Mānoa researcher to be honored with the award. In 1981, world-renowned UH Mānoa oceanography professor Klaus Wyrtki received the Rosenstiel Award. Wyrtki is probably best known for his research that provided a key piece to the El Niņo puzzle that helped in forecasting such events.

Timmermann will officially receive the award this spring during a banquet held at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami. The award consists of a gold medal and $10,000. During his visit, Timmermann will be giving several talks to both public and scientific audiences.

The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, is a climate research center founded to gain greater understanding of the climate system and the nature and causes of climate variation in the Asian-Pacific region, and to develop information on how global climate changes may affect the region. Established under the "U.S.-Japan Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective" in October 1997, the IPRC is a collaborative effort between Japan and the United States.